.ghoti.

urp, you've perfectly described how to tie a Pitzen, or 16/20 knot.

A small circle hook, right through the eyes will keep the minnow alive the longest and will not guthook the fish.

When you buy a Lucky Craft bait you're paying a premium price for a very finely detailed finish. They do make beautiful looking hard baits. I do not believe this is at all important for a topwater bait. I have several Sammys and a couple of gunfish, and I regret spending that much for topwater baits. Spooks and jr spooks put more fish in the boat than the LC baits, are easier on the bank account, and are easier to walk. Save your money for where it matters more. Like jerkbaits. That excellent finish and balance are just what the doctor ordered when fishing clear cool water, where the fish have time to get a good look at the bait.

Your second pic is in the 2.5 - 3 lbs range. In your first pic, that's a 4 pounder; if you're about 6'11" and around 250lbs, that is. Get a decent scale because the truth of the matter is; 99% of 5lb bass aren't.

Good one I have several students right now who rather closely resemble that dude.

You want it stabilized so that it can heal properly? Let the doc put it in a ^%#@#*&^(&%^%# cast, you numbskull.

I don't favor one brand over another. A tube is a tube. I tend to buy the colors I want rather than the brand. I also go for the size I want rather than brand. Biklgerat mentioned Poor Boy's tubes. They have some great clear water colors. The price is right too. Less than 7 bucks for a 20 pack. This season, I've caught more fish on a frog color Poor Boy's tube than all other baits combined. But, it's been a weird year, so far.

If I caught a record I'd have to throw it away. I haven't had a record player for decades. :D

check this out. that fish was landed on a spinning rod. The idea that "only" a baitcaster has enough power to land a bass is ludicrous. If you hitched a 10lb cobia to a 10lb bass, where would they go? Answer: anywhere the cob wanted to go. Olebiker, the setup you proposed will do the job, no problem.

For where you live, Trilene XL.

Just had a thought, and excuse me for asking it. It's gonna sound like I think you're not all together there, but I do not mean it that way. Look at the pic skunked again sent. If the pinion bearing is the center of the clock, there's a yoke post at 11 and another at 5. At about 7 is the screw that holds the yoke plate down. Do you have that screw installed and tightened? If it's not there, it will be very difficult, if not impossible, to get the spring to stay in place.

I seriously doubt there is anything wrong with the spring. Those things are TOUGH. Unless you snapped it half, or heat it and beat it, I don't know how it could be damaged. Maybe one of the reel repair guys; DVT, francho or RM, will come along and explain better than I, how to install that bugger.

Here's a pic of a Steez. the pic you want is at the bottom of the page. I know, it's not a Fuego, but the spring is the same. keep in mind this is a pic of a left handed reel. The "v" is still pointed to the front of the reel. And, I had it backwards; the long arm of the spring goes in the hole in the frame, and the short arm goes in the plate. Sorry for the misinformation.

I did this a couple of years ago with two Fuegos and two identical rods; Setyr 7' M-F. The bearings were TG ceramics. Both reels had been freshly serviced, and had a fresh fill of the same new line. One reel had stock bearings and one had the new TG's. I used the same baits; Pop-r's for one test and 1/4oz jigs with no trailer for the second. The reel with TG's tossed both baits a bit farther. Maybe 15 feet or so. I could achieve similar distances with a bit less effort using the TG reel. I then swapped the reels out and tested again with he same results. Absolutely nothing earthshaking about ceramic bearings as far as i was concerned. When I got home I removed the ceramics and sold them at a loss to a buddy of mine. I could not stand the sound they made. I prefer that my reels be seen and NOT heard. I've heard since that you need to allow time for the bearings to break in, and then they will be quieter. As far as I'm concerned, breaking in is another term for wearing out. In any event, I do not like ceramic bearings and will not be buying any more. I did the same test last year with stainless steel ABEC 7's, with very similar results. 10 -15' more distance with the same effort or equal distance with a little less effort. The only real difference I could tell was the stainless steel ABEC 7's were quiet. They were also less expensive. I would say that if I ever need to replace spool bearings, I will buy SS ABEC 7's instead of factory stock bearings. Biggreenfish sells these for $10 each, minimal shipping cost and very fast service. Or I can buy from Daiwa and get stock bearings for a little higher price, higher shipping and very slow service. Seems a no-brainer to me.

The yoke springs (2) simply are positioned on top of the yoke, slid onto the posts after the yoke. I'm thinking that's not what you're asking. I'm going to assume you're talking about the yoke plate spring, which is the most difficult spring to get back in place. This spring looks like a "V" with one arm longer than the other. The longer arm goes in the hole in the yoke plate. The shorter arm goes in the hole in the top of the frame. The "V" points toward the front of the reel. Put the long arm in first. Then, using a pair of needlenose pliers, grasp the spring with one jaw inside the loop and the other jaw on the short arm. Twist it into place and insert the short arm in the frame hole. If this doesn't help, I can try to get a picture. I'm working right now so I can't take any pictures.

A lure doesn't have to look like food to catch bass. Take a gander at a spinnerbait if you aren't convinced. On the other hand, a lure does have to look like some sort of prey to catch a fisherman.

Do it the easy way. Back when I thought Trilene Big Game line was the best stuff around I used to do this at the beginning of every trip. Buy the biggest spinnerbait you can find. a 3/4oz with a big colorado blade would be the minimum I'd recommend. Remove the skirt. Clamp a rubber core sinker to the hook shank to add more weight. Cast it out, and crank it back fast. Don't try to muscle it out on the first cast. One easy cast and one muscle cast, with a high speed retrieve will do the trick. Keep the rod down to the side, and crank fast enough to put a good bend in the rod. I've even caught a couple of fish doing this.

I regard everything I tie on the end of my line as expendable. If you fish where the fish are, you're gonna leave some tackle in the water. Having said that; I agree with Nate, up to a point. About 1/3 of my jigs have the "weedguard" cut off.

I like Gammy ship gap hooks, but not for the Fat Ika. I've had the best results using a 4/0 Gammy EWG. A 5/0 Owner Rig-N hook is also a good choice. You'll still go through a lot of baits when the Ika bite is on. There is no substitute for the Fat Ika.

Dwight, I just have one question for you. How much for lessons?

Tell your nephew to get punk-arse online and post up the video. :D You are one tough son-of-a-rooster.

Hey WhiteMike, where you been lately? Maybe you should go back there, eh?

Anything it wants to.

Start right here. http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_articles.html

You think studying for, and taking, finals is bad; try grading several stacks of them. You wouldn't believe some of the drivel I have to wade through every year. Well, maybe some of you would. You've probably written enough of it.